An insolation activated dust layer on Mars

Dust “ Drifts ” on Mars

Introduction: Eolian sedimentary deposits are important because they provide a record of the direction and strength of winds on Mars and the type and flux of sediments transported by the winds. While Martian sand dunes and transverse aeolian ridges ("TARs") have been thoroughly studied, the sedimentary deposits left behind by blowing dust have received comparatively little attention to date. Wi...

Polar warming in the Mars thermosphere: Seasonal variations owing to changing insolation and dust distributions

[1] Warming of the martian lower thermosphere (100–130 km) at north polar latitudes near the perihelion/winter solstice (Ls = 270) was recently observed. No analogous warming has been observed within the south polar thermosphere during its aphelion/winter season (Ls 90). Detailed global model simulations are required to investigate the physical processes driving these seasonal variations. New s...

Tropical Dust Cyclones on Mars

Introduction: Atmospheric dust plays an important role in regulating the climate of Mars and strongly influences the deposition of incoming solar energy and outgoing infrared radiation, thereby affecting atmospheric dynamics through heating. The lifting of dust from the surface is fundamentally a result of atmospheric circulations, and this provides an opportuntity for feedback between atmosphe...

Mars Boundary Layer Stability Experiments of Dust Threshold

North–south topographic slope asymmetry on Mars: Evidence for insolation-related erosion at high obliquity

[1] A map of north–south subkilometer-scale slope asymmetry on Mars obtained from statistical analysis of along-track MOLA topographic profiles reveals welldefined zonal belts of north–south slope asymmetry at 40–50 latitude in both hemispheres. In these narrow anomalous belts the pole-facing slopes are systematically gentler than equator-facing slopes. This asymmetry is especially pronounced f...